As Portland roots for the Trail Blazers in the NBA Western Conference playoffs, kids are naturally and enthusiastically mimicking their elders. We asked Brian Baxter, director of the Portland-based Sport Psychology Institute NW, to offer his thoughts on the benefits of kids becoming sports fans.It’s good for family bonding. Baxter said watching sports together makes for great family togetherness time. And, he pointed out, a lot of people will say, “I got into sports because I used to watch this team with my dad.”

It’s a chance to reinforce your family’s values. “As a family, you can use (sports) to talk about ‘how do we behave,’ ” Baxter said. Watch how other fans act – whether respectfully, enthusiastically, drunkenly or inappropriately – and seize the teachable moment: “Did you see that? What does our family do? How do we want to be?” Talk with your children about “how do we conduct ourselves and what makes it the most fun for us,” Baxter said, and offer options such as painting their faces in team colors or dressing up in team jerseys. (If your kids are following the Blazers right now, download The Oregonian’s #RipCityFan poster and snap a photo.) When your kids see behavior that makes you cringe, ask them, “Do you have to behave like that, or is that a choice?”

It’s helpful to prepare them in advance. Baxter, a Portland Timbers season ticketholder, said he chats with his 10-year-old son before games about what they’re likely to see and hear from the Timbers Army fans. “There’s a PG version of all the chants, there’s an R version. We sing the PG version.” He also tells his son, “We can’t control what these other people are doing but we can have fun.”

It’s fine for kids to suffer the agony of defeat. “Let your kid have that experience and be sad and be upset that your team lost,” Baxter said – it’s an experience that teaches them how to manage upsetting situations. The next morning (not right after the game, Baxter warned), after the child is calmer and sees that the sun still came up, start a discussion: “I noticed you were really sad about the game. … People get upset at sporting events and that’s OK, but are you going to let it affect your day at school? Are you going to let it affect how you treat your little brother or your dog?” Parents can model how to handle defeat by saying, “OK, we got crushed in Game 1, but there’s Game 2.” (Or Game 3...)

It’s a way to learn empathy. If a kid is moping over a loss, a parent can say, “You know how bad you feel – imagine how the players feel, how the coach feels,” Baxter said.

It’s a way to teach resilience. Seeing a beloved team lose an important game can be especially valuable for a child who is also involved in sports. Parents can say, “Let’s watch and see – are they going to feel sorry for themselves and give up, or are they going to try to get back in it?”